Independent Living Bill in the UK

Independent Living Bill in the UK

Lord Ashley of Stoke introduced his independent Living Bill in 2006. It was drafted by the Disability Rights Commission and in consultation with a range of disability organisations, service providers and other stakeholders.

ENIL Regional Delegate Debbie Jolly talked to Lord Ashley of Stoke. The Bill identifies key issues that impact on disabled people's freedoms, control, rights and dignity including reform of a social 'care' system that is in crisis and can not deliver support to disabled people beyond the minimum levels. At present it represents a system that is difficult to understand and work through, a system in which advocacy and self-assessment principles are being ignored and the prevention of freedom of movement because of the impossibility of transferring a package of social support to other areas. In short social 'care' does not support what disability organisations would term independent living.

The independent living bill seeks to tackle these problems, but the process is slow as the Bill needs to be read several times by different Parliament houses at Westminster before it becomes a legally binding Independent Living Act, although the Independent Living Bill appears to have inspired some government plans, government are reluctant to accept the Bill in its entirety- Lord Ashley is determined to carry on representing the Bill and told ENIL:

"My Bill on independent living is designed to sweep away the scandalously inadequate system of services for disabled people and to replace it with one which is based on freedom, choice, control and participation. At present, independent living is a mirage. Consequently, the present system means there are very few rights to services. For example, the very notion that the right to merely being washed and fed provides independence is bizarre. These conditions mean that disabled people have to fight for every concession rather than have services provided as of right.

Today, disabled people have no rights in their choice of where they live and who they live with, no legal entitlement to advocacy, no right to communication support and equipment, no right to portable support. They are trapped in a system which is slow, cumbersome and inflexible.

The Bill sets out clear principles for the delivery of support to disabled people and their families. For the first time social care, health and housing support will have a clear purpose set out in law. This would guarantee disabled people the services they are deprived of today.

Every disabled person would be guaranteed minimum outcomes which would focus on delivering the means to live an ordinary life, rather than the current "feed and clean" only culture.

Disabled people would be supported to define their own needs through self-assessment which would save time and money.

Disabled people would have new rights to communication support and equipment, to independent advocacy, to support mental health needs and to palliative care and rehabilitation.

This is merely the flavour of the Bill and there are many detailed proposals, all of which combine to present a very different picture of independent living from today's. This Bill has the potential to transform the lives of millions of disabled people in Britain. They are entitled to it and it is up to us, working together, to provide it."

http://www.enil. eu/enil/index. php?option= com_content& task=view& id=60&Itemid= 82

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Abner Nguyen Manlapaz
President, Life Haven Inc.